 Lewsey has starred for the Lions in their early games on tour |
Josh Lewsey believes the Lions need to improve their performance level by "about 30%" to avoid a "thumping" by the All Blacks in the first Test. Lewsey looks set to start at full-back in Saturday's clash in Christchurch.
He told BBC Sport: "You need to have the right level of execution otherwise you're going to get thumped by a team like New Zealand.
"We need to raise our game by about 30% from where it is at the moment to give ourselves a chance of winning."
The All Blacks will start Saturday's game in Christchurch as favourites.
But Lewsey, one of the stars of the tour to date, believes the Lions can emulate his club side Wasps in making sure they peak at the right time. "If you believe the media we're going to get a 3-0 thumping in the series, he said. "Of course, I don't think will be the case.
"I think we've played well in patches but not put a full 80 minutes together yet.
"In fact, we haven't yet played to the standard that would necessitate beating the All Blacks but it's the same as Wasps - we didn't play our best until the end of the season.
"But we pulled it out when it counted in the final game and I think we'll do it again."
MMIX
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